Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building. History Built on a dolerite outcrop, the location was previously home to a fort of the native Britons known as Din Guarie and may have been the capital of the British kingdom of the region (see Gododdin, Bryneich and Hen Ogledd)'An English empire: Bede and the early Anglo-Saxon kings' by N. J. Higham, Manchester University Press ND, 1995, ISBN 0-7190-4423-5, ISBN 978-0-7190-4423-6 from the realm's foundation in c.420 until 547, the year of the first written reference to the castle. In that year the citadel was captured by the Anglo-Saxon ruler Ida of Bernicia (Beornice) and became Ida's seat. It was briefly retaken by the Britons from his son Hussa during the war of 590 before being relieved later the same year. His grandson Æðelfriþ passed it on to his wife Bebba, from whom the early name Bebbanburgh was derived. The Vikings destroyed the original fortification in 993. The Normans built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. William II unsuccessfully besieged it in 1095 during a revolt supported by its owner, Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria. After Robert was captured, his wife continued the defence until coerced to surrender by the king's threat to blind her husband. Bamburgh then became the property of the reigning English monarch. Henry II probably built the keep. As an important English outpost, the castle was the target of occasional raids from Scotland. In 1464 during the Wars of the Roses, it became the first castle in England to be defeated by artillery, at the end of a nine-month siege by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. The Forster family of Northumberland''The History and Antiquities of North Durham'' Rev James Raine MA (1840) pp306-10 History and pedigree of Forster family provided the Crown with twelve successive governors of the castle for some 400 years until the Crown granted ownership to Sir John Forster. The family retained ownership until Sir William Forster (d. 1700) was posthumously declared bankrupt, and his estates, including the castle, were sold to Lord Crew, Bishop of Durham (husband of his sister Dorothy) under an Act of Parliament to settle the debts. The castle deteriorated but was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian industrialist William Armstrong, who completed the restoration. During the Second World War, the Royal Navy corvette [[HMS Bamborough Castle|HMS Bamborough Castle]] was named after it. The castle still belongs to the Armstrong family, and is opened to the public. It also hosts weddings and corporate events. It has been used as a film location since the 1920s, featuring in films such as Ivanhoe (1952), El Cid (1961), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), and Elizabeth (1998). Vicinity features About to the south on a point of coastal land is the ancient fortress of Dunstanburgh Castle and about to the north is Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island. Environmental factors Air quality levels at Bamburgh Castle are excellent due to the absence of industrial sources in the region. Sound levels near the north-south road passing by Bamburgh Castle are in the range of 59 to 63 dBA in the daytime (Northumberland Sound Mapping Study, Northumberland, England, June 2003). Nearby are breeding colonies of Arctic and common terns on the inner Farne Islands, and of Atlantic puffin, shag and razorbill on Staple Island. Archaeology at Bamburgh Since 1996, the Bamburgh Research Project has been investigating the archaeology and history of the Castle and Bamburgh area. The project has concentrated on the fortress site and the early medieval burial ground at the Bowl Hole, to the south of the castle. Archaeological excavations were started in the 1960s by Dr. Brian Hope-Taylor, who discovered the gold plaque known as the Bamburgh Beast as well as the Bamburgh Sword. The project runs a training dig for 10 weeks every summer for students to learn more about archaeological techniques and to further research into the Castle. Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum The castle's laundry rooms feature the Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum, with exhibits about Victorian industrialist William Armstrong and Armstrong Whitworth, the manufacturing company he founded. Displays include engines, artillery and weaponry, and aviation artefacts from two world wars. Bamburgh Castle in film and television * 1927: Huntingtower * 1949: '' film * 1964: 1964 film * 1971 The Devils * 1984–86 Robin of Sherwood * 2001: Revelation * 2006: "Most Haunted" * 2010: 2010 film *2011: Channel 4's Time Team dig at Bamburgh Castle See also *Bamburgh Sword *Bebbanburg *Cragside Notes External links *Bamburgh Castle Guide from VisitNorthumberland.com *Bamburgh Castle – Map References *Bamburgh Castle *Bamburgh Research Project *Images of Bamburgh castle * Glen Lyndon Dodds, (Albion Press, 2002), Historic Sites of Northumberland & Newcastle upon Tyne, pp 33–39 * David Ford Nash, "Early British Kingdoms". * Category:Castles in Northumberland Category:Country houses in Northumberland Category:History of Northumberland Category:Grade I listed buildings in Northumberland Category:Tourist attractions in Northumberland Category:Historic house museums in Northumberland Category:Archaeological sites in Northumberland Category:Technology museums in the United Kingdom Category:Reportedly haunted locations in England